Gosnell: The Movie--Trying to Tell the Story of an American Serial Killer Which Strikes Too Close to Home

[L] Ann McElhinney and [R] Phelim McAleer

In 2013, husband and wife veteran filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Anne McElhinney were publicizing their feature documentary Fracknation as the murder trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell was occurring in Philadelphia.  McAleer was amazed at the lack of coverage of a prolific serial killer that murdered two women in botched late term abortions in unsanitary conditions, used a brutal snipping technique to kill a thousand children beyond the legal limit for abortion and also dealt prescription drugs.

Yet the national mainstream media ignored the Gosnell case, dismissing it like a local murder case while lavishing attention on the concurrent Jodi Arias murder trial. McAleer did man on the street interviews in California to learn about what the public knew about sensational murder trials.

As Katherine Graham, the former publisher of the Washington Post, proclaimed: "What we cover and what we don't matter a lot...The power is to set the agenda."  Fox News commentator Greg Gutfeld recently speculated about the reasons why most of the mainstream media (including Fox) did not cover the Gosnell trial closely:

"The reason why they don't do this one is not because the evil is so grotesque.  It's that it's too close to a moral choice they've made.  That's what it's about.  It's not that like, ah it's so hard to do something on this man who butchered babies.  It's because it's too close to the pro-choice mindset."

However, McAleer and McElhinney were so haunted by the Gosnell trial that they backed away from other crowd-source funded projects so as to make a movie about Gosnell.  Yet Anne & Phelim Media encountered more velvet gloved censorship by Kickstarter, which claims to not curate projects but would not allow them to describe their dramatized movie idea as being about a mass murderer who killed a thousand children as it allegedly violated community standards which Kickstart "encourages and (selectively) enforces".  McAleer believes that it is within Kickstarter's right to not facilitate funding but that it should be forthright that it is due to the project matter not a transparent lie about community standards which it does not enforce for sundry other offensive projects.

So they moved their crowd-source funding efforts to Indiegogo, where they have raised $1.2 million  of a fixed target $2.1 million.  If they do not make their designated funding mark by May 12th, the money reverts  back to the prospective investors.

There is already an excellent documentary film 3801 Lancaster, which interviews victims of Gosnell's House of Horrors.  So McAleer and McElhinney want to make dramatized version of the Gosnell story which would run on the Lifetime  Movie Network rather than a feature documentary to reach a wider audience.

 It is easy for seaboard elitists to dismiss a film about Gosnell as just being by religious zealots with pro-life propaganda, which is a touch charge to apply to McAleer and McElhinney. In addition, this dismissive instinct ignores how Dr. Gosnell was a racist as he gave his white patients much better and cleaner abortion services than his clients of color.

A film about Gosnell must also include a political angle.  Former Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA) was elected as chief executive of the Keystone State as a moderate Republican.  The governor's office made it clear that the Commonwealth should do nothing to impede abortion services, so Gosnell's clinic was not properly inspected for 17 years, despite gruesome reports and several deaths. 

Gosnell's clinic was raided because Gosnell was writing prescriptions like a pell mell pill mill for Oxycotin and the ilk.  That raid permitted police to stumble upon an unsanitary abortion butchery, where Gosnell kept severed limbs as trophies.

Hearing the filmmakers promote their project, it is clear that they yearn to tell a compelling true story about a prolific American serial killer and pull back the curtain on details which a progressive public would rather ignore.

Trump Gets Punchy with "Raging Bull" Robert De Niro

On the eve of the US-North Korea Summit in Singapore, actor Robert De Niro used his platform introducing "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen at the Tony Awards to hurl vulgar invectives at President Donald Trump. 

Although this crude message garnered standing ovations from the elites gathered at Radio City Musical Hall, it further alienated many prospective Trump fans as chronicled in Salena Zito's book "The Great Revolt" (2018).   Liberal operatives in the mainstream media also cringed at De Niro's raging B.S. as the over the top attack bolstered Trump's brand.

Now that the Singapore Summit ended in seeming success, President Trump can turn to domestic detractors and put them in their places in his own inimitable way.  On Air Force One, Trump took to Twitter to troll De Niro using the conceit of playing the punch drunk Jake DeMont from the 1980 Academy Award winning film Raging Bull.




No doubt this will stoke additional enmity from De Niro.  De Niro's had Trump Derangement Syndrome for quite a while. In addition, De Niro seems stuck on character acting like Dirty Grandpa. 

But a tete-a-tete with De Niro is much like the NFL Take The Knee issue for Mr. Trump.  It is a cultural issue that reaches audiences who may be otherwise apathetic to politics.  The curt counter-punches feeds Trump trolls who itch for politically incorrect imbroglios but is witty enough to also reach red blooded and blue collar voters who recoil at progressive filth.  

The urge to counter-punch is intrinsic for President Trump. But he and his minions need to mind their English when exchanging Low IQ insults.

On Tolerance, Pardons, Politics and Dinesh D'Souza

In 2012, conservative polemicist Dinesh D'Souza contributed $20,000  via a straw donor for his friend Wend Long's quixotic campaign to become Senator from New York.   His infraction was zealously prosecuted by politically connected US Prosecutor from the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.   

In 2014, D'Souza entered a plea for a one count felony charge. D'Souza's sentence was for eight months in a half way house, five years probation and a $30,000 fine. 

 This was perhaps the first time that someone was sentenced to prison for a minor FEC infraction.  Liberal Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz noted that such campaign violations were common and questioned if it was a proper exercise of prosecutorial discretion.   Many conservatives believe that Bharara threw the book at D'Souza as payback for cinematic success of  "2016: Obama's America" (2012).   Bharara was thought to be a front runner to replace Obama Attorney General Eric Holder in 2014. 

On May 31, 2018  President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he would grant D'Souza a full pardon because  he was very unfairly treated by our government.

President Barack Obama granted clemency to 1,715 nonviolent criminals, many of them were for drug dealers and even a terrorist.  Obama granted more commutations  than the prior twelve Presidents. The mainstream media lauded the Obama Administration as being tolerant.  

It is dubious that the media accredited Democrat steno-pool will apply the same standards towards President Trump regarding Dinesh D'Souza.

Appreciating May the Fourth Be With You

In May 1977, the original Star Wars film (now known as Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope) premiered at movie theaters.  Practically no one expected the tremendous  success of Star Wars, as it grossed $775 million at the box office.   But the George Lucas film became a sustained cultural phenomenon.

When Tory politician Margaret Thatcher first became British Prime Minister, the London Evening Standard published a punny congratulatory ad from the Conservative party which played off of Star Wars rebel imagery vis-a-vis Labour's deathgrip on UK politics after 1978-79 Winter of Discontent.

While the politics of the pun's origination may have faded, the slogan became a geek touchstone.  It was a catch phrase on Facebook for "Luke Skywalker Day" in 2008.  The first organized grassroots holiday was in Toronto, Canada in 2011.  Since Disney took over Lucasfilms in 2013, it has become a celebrated ersatz holiday.

It might make you want to sing.





Like lounge singer Nick Winters on Saturday Night Live so many moons ago?


Almost.

But it might inspire the Boogie Storm to make some mad jumps. 

Ayn Rand on Atlas Shrugged

Abraham Lincoln on Freedom

The nose of this bronze bust of Lincoln is discolored by so many visitors rubbing it. 

If you plan to visit Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, Illinois, do not expect to have an engaging encounter à la Night at the Museum.

Being At Peace With Different Measures of Glory

Athletes from Unified North & South Korean Team at Winter Olympics

The 23rd Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea are themed to be the games of peace.  This was accentuated by athletes of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) marching with their Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) counterparts under a unified flag.

Olympic Athletes from Russia for 2018 Winter Olympics 

Due the doping ban on Russian Federation, the 169 clean Russian athletes marched as neutrals in red and grey uniforms as neutrals.  Any gold medal winning "Olympic Athletes of Russia"  will be feted with the raising of the Olympic flag and anthem. 

While the  2,952 athletes participating in the Pyeongchang games are the best winter sport athletes in the world, but only a few make it up to the medal stand to receive their glory. For most, marching in the Winter Olympics opening ceremony is the highlight of their careers. 



This makes Eric Liddell's admonition about glory all the more poignant. 




What is particularly noteworthy of Eric Liddell is not that he was the the Flying Scotsman was the first  British Gold Medal winner in track from 1924, or that he was the basis of the film Chariots of Fire (1981), or his steadfast Sabbath keeping, but for dying as a missionary in a Japanese internment camp in China in 1945. 

We should all be inspired to run a good race in life and doing our best.

Peoplekind, eh?

During a townhall meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interrupted a constituent pleading for religious liberty to serve underprivileged Canadians to ensure that politically correct language was used. 





Helping mankind was considered to be a micro-aggression, so Prime Minister Trudeau offered that "Peoplekind" was preferred politically correct speak. Really? Not even humankind?  Does that include canines, as dogs are people too (sic).  How about corporations?  Well, our neighbors in the Great White North have determined that the free speech in the Charter of Rights can overridden, especially for corporations, where the need can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Then again, Canadians have a reputation for priggishly protecting minority rights, as was humorously parodied in Michael Moore's  romp Canadian Bacon (1995).




Post Scriptus 02/07/2018 -  Several days after the "Peoplekind" comment went viral on social media, The UK Daily Mail reports Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was just kidding about the comment.  Sure, he did...check the videotape--NOT! It seems that he'll use the excuse of allegedly making a dumb joke than being considered dumb during a tour in the United States.

The problem with Trudeau's apologia is that his humor relies on a  is a reductio ad absurdum.  If we are to respect minority rights, should an over-exaggeration be a laughing matter? 

On Groundhog Day Predictions

Don Quixote on Nonsense

Hillary Clinton as the real Wonder Woman?

Unsuccessful 2016 Presidential nominee First Lady/Senator/Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was feted on her 70th birthday by the Women's Media Center.  Mrs. Clinton received the first ever Wonder Woman award because: "[S]he seems to have superhuman strength, resilience and courage". Mrs. Clinton was also toasted by the likes of feminist icons Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem on her natal anniversary.

[L] Jane Fonda [C] Gloria Steinem toasting [R] Hillary Clinton, October 26, 2017

As her campaigned waned and in the unhappy aftermath of the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton has more overtly embraced feminist hermanenutics to understand her defeat.  Mrs. Clinton has not shied away from associating herself with Wonder Woman, despite not seeing the recently released DC Comics film (2017).



While many may see it a stretch to liken Hillary Clinton to a superhero, it might still be apt to refer to her as Wonder Woman.  After all, consider her answers about Cattle Futures, evasions and lies about bungling Benghazi, Mrs. Clinton's e-mail anomalies, her confusion that 'c' is for classified not cookie, and Hillary dismissing Uranium One connections as "baloney" as well as the excuse making for What Happened (2017) after she lost a sure thing election, Mrs. Clinton well be the true Wonder Women.  Considering the source, true is an inadvised phrase-- OK, the REAL Wonder(ing) Woman.

9/11 and Global Guardian

As America commemorates the  anniversary of the September 11th 2001 attacks by Islamic terrorists, the sting of the memory may have grown faint in some circles. Whether it is due to the passage of time or the widespread reluctance to show the terrible videos about planes hitting the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville PA, killing nearly 3,000 souls that day. So the producers of a commercial showing the collapse of twin towers of mattresses might not have struck them as being offensive humor.

However, Bush White House Director of Advance Brian Montgomery had a slightly sardonic memory of that dark day preparing for an impromptu stop at Barksdale AFB on September 11, 2001, as it seemed like Dr. Strangelove surrealism. 

The Secret Service was very protective of the President and were chary about returning to the White House to avoid the possibility of a decapitation strike. This sensibility was reinforced especially after hearing chatter that "Angel" (code name for Air Force One) was "next".  So the Presidential entourage was diverted to Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, Louisiana.

It so happened that on that very day, the 8th Air Force based at Barksdale AFB was in the midst of their annual big exercise Global Guardian, including having loaded bombers at the ready.   So Barksdale AFB was already proceeding in a THREATCON Delta mode.  So when Advance Director Montgomery disembarked from Air Force One, he could see the B-52 Stratsfortress bombers lined up wing-to-wing it seemed surreal.

Adding to the surreal scene was being met by a military man who looked like ready to roll General Buck Turgidson telling him that the squadron of B-52s were loaded with nukes, no wonder Montgomery thought of Dr. Strangelove.

Better to work with a guy looking like General Buck Turgidson than guy acting like General Ripper. However, to all reports, once the second plane hit the World Trade Center everyone in the military was on war footing.  

And despite less than ideal communications on Air Force One, President George W. Bush was able to reach out to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. Bush White House Press Secretary Ari Fletcher recalled: "Putin was fantastic that day.  He was a very different Vladimir Putin in 2001. America could have had no better ally on September 11th than Russia and Putin. Putin  accepted the President Bush's reassurances that America was under attack and hostilities were not directed towards Russia. 

President Bush exiting Air Force One on September 11,2001 with "Doomsday Plane" in the background

So despite "Angel" landing next to a fully loaded nuclear squadron of B-52's and being met on the tarmac by a guy who was a doppelganger for General Buck Turgidson, there was little chance on 9/11 that life would imitate art in Dr. Strangelove's (1964) climactic ending.

H/T Politico

Jennifer Lawrence on Mother Nature's Wrath

Crossing Ghostbusters and Dirty Harry on the 38th Parallel

During an interview with Hugh Hewitt on MSNBC, former Southern Command and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe former Admiral James Stavridis used a couple of pop cultural references to illustrate the conundrum vis-a-vis North Korea.




Admiral Stavridis likened the existential threats of the miniaturization of nuclear warheads and ICBMs which can reach the continental United States to the danger of crossing the streams in Ghostbusters (1983). 



To illustrate the advancing threat, Stavridis analogized the North Korea situation to the punch line from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971):  "Do you feel lucky punk? " 

Robert De Niro on Graduating

Actor Robert De Niro was the 2017 featured commencement speaker at his alma mater Brown University.  He gave a incongruous address was memorable as it seemed so contrary to the hallowed halls of education on the East Coast. 

De Niro's pearl of wisdom comparing Trump's America as a "crazy dumb assed comedy" is the cherry on the cake for  what one gets now a days for a pricey Ivy League education.

De Niro was scathing about "crazy dumb assed comedies" but that seems to be the genre which he lands most of his roles lately.  At least his attire at the commencement ceremony was not as egregious as the schtick in "Dirty Grandpa" (2016).

George Lucas on Science and Star Wars

May the Fourth Be With You!

Beware the Ides of March for Washington Wonks

Caesar:

Who is it in the press that calls on me?

I hear a tongue shriller than all the music

Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer:

Beware the ides of March.

Caesar:

What man is that?

Brutus:

A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

Some accused Marlon Brando as butchering Julius Caesar (1953).

Instead of slaughtering Shakespeare,  George Clooney's "The Ides of March" (2011) is a a sharper contemporary reminder about political assassinations and machinations for a Washington wonk.

[This post originally ran on 03/15/2013]

L.A. Street Artist Sabo Skews Tinseltown by the Discounting of Hollywood

On the eve of the Academy Awards, L.A. Street Artist Sabo did a real life installation that skewered Tinseltown. 



Sabo created posters that looked very similar to Tinseltown publicity but which sported a message which did anything but hype the 2017 Oscars, particularly quoting from Quentin Tarantino's True Romance (1993).

The host of this year's Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel has warned that viewers acknowledges that much of his Academy Awards monologue will be about President Donald Trump (and it won't be all light commentary) because that is what people are talking about.  Still Kimmel worries that the Oscars will talk too much about Trump, and inevitably such political talk will alienate some people.

For those "Deplorables" who are already alienated from the progressive pontifications from Hollyweird, Doc Thompson is hosting the #SnowFlakeAwards on The Blaze TV (which will also be livestreamed on The Snowflake Awards website).   That will be a show that will be much more simpatico with Sabo, albeit the ceremony will not simply skewer the entertainment industry.

However, it is dubious if those who achieve the Peoples' Choice in the Snowflake Awards will pick up their trophies before they melt in the hot studio lights or the glare of public opinion.

The Distance Between Insanity and Genius

Paging CNN Chief Jeff Zucker

Gary Sinise on Sacrifice

Along with his acting career, Gary Sinise has been a big booster of military and veterans' causes.  Sinise combined his love of music with a beloved character from the film "Forest Gump" (1994) .  The Lt. Dan Band plays cover music concerts for the USO and charities like Operation Iraqi Child under the banner: "Honor. Gratitude. Rock & Roll".